The present invention relates to a massage belt comprising a peripheral, closed profile member formed of a resilient material and defining a rim, wire rails or rods extending transversely between the longitudinal portions of the profile member, and at least one elongated block of wood rotatably mounted on each wire rail.
For the self-massage of muscular stiffness, especially in the region of the shoulder and in the doral region, hand-held massage instruments are known which have approximately the shape of a belt. Such a belt is moved to and fro across the respective body portions with a higher or lower contact pressure, thereby exerting a massaging effect. This effect is caused either by a certain surface roughness of the belt or by small rotatable blocks attached to the belt. In a conventional massage belt of the last-mentioned type, the rim is formed of a peripheral, resilient closed profile member. Extending transversely of the rim of the profile member, from one side to the other, are wire rails (or wire rods) each of which have mounted thereon a pair of elongated blocks of wood.
Although a massage belt of this type in fact provides a massaging effect, this belt nevertheless suffers from a number of drawbacks. As only one or two blocks of wood are mounted on each of the transversely extending wire rails, a relatively wide area of the massaged muscular surface is covered by a single block. Owing to the large bearing or contact surface of a single block, the force exerted on the muscle, and thus the massaging effect, is relatively low. Another drawback results from the fact that the blocks of wood of the conventional massage belt are all bored through in the same direction to receive the respective wire rail. Consequently, with the movement of the belt across the body, an almost uniform force without any significant variations is exerted on the muscle. However, essential to a good effect of a massage is the clear alternation of application and release of small-area forces on the muscle.